Month: February 2011

Build your dream home on this beautiful quarter acre residential BUILDING LOT in the much sought-after Park Shore of Naples, FL. This home lot is within walking distance to Venetian Village where you can enjoy boutique shopping with styles from chic casual to simply elegant. Highlighted scheduled social events throughout the year such as the famous Boat Parade have made Venetian Village a must-stop spot. Set in the true Italian waterfront style, take advantage of eating alfresco with forever views from the upper deck on Bayside’s terrace overlooking Venetian Bay. The sugar white sands of the beach at Horizon Way are just a few minute’s drive from your slice of paradise. Just “around the corner” are the Waterside Shops offering valet parking, personal shopping and current trend fashion shows where there’s something in their event calendar to satisfy every family member. For those especially fond of the cultural arts, tickets to the Naples Philharmonic, lovingly known as “The Phil” by Neapolitans, offers a plethora of selections from orchestra to the arias, ballet to the Blues, there’s always something to entertain yourself with at The Phil. Right next door is the visual arts center, the Naples Museum of Art, displaying world-class paintings, sculpture, drawings and other art forms and just about a mile north is the much anticipatedMercato. An experience of inviting streetscapes combined with upscale shopping, fine dining and the ever popular Silverspot Theatre, where you can dine and take your cocktail into the theatre with you while your reserved, leather seats are awaiting you. Luxury doesn’t stop there: head a mile down the road and you’ll find the Ritz-Carlton at the beach with world-class amenities and the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort within 1/2 mile of the Mercato in the other direction, taking full advantage of the breathtaking beauty of the Paradise coast. There’s also world class galleries, shopping and eateries at the 5th Ave and the 3rd Street shopping district awaiting your arrival in Olde Naples. Don’t wait any longer, Naples is recovered and we’re on are way to a stable market. Currently, there are only 8 vacant lots available in all of Park Shore, the Moorings and Coquina Sands under $1m. Lot size is 125x117x83x100 and is .27 acre zoned for R1-10A with a building potential of up to 7,500-8,000 s.f. of living with a maximum of 30ft building height.

On Tuesday I posted about some of the great uses for saving your real estate and how handy this inexpensive product is in use for all areas in your home, whether it be Naples, Florida or Naples, Italy. Click here is you missed Part I.

This is one of my all time favorite uses and I use it about every 3-4 weeks because the coffee stains cloud the pot and I’m a bit anal, I really can’t enjoy my coffee unless it comes out of a sparkling carafe and not something that looks like it survived an army barracks back in the 40’s. My husband will probably be humiliated that this is going in print, but, he told me that when he worked in the tv studio, he never washed his coffee cup! Yuk. He dumped the coffee, ran an eye dropper full of water thru it and called it a day. For 7 years folks! A Petri dish would probably have less bacteria. I’m thinking it probably contributed greatly to his hair loss but, what do I know??! Remove stains from coffee and teacups by scrubbing them gently with equal parts of salt (or baking soda) and white distilled vinegar. Rinse clean. Or, for the internal system, try this: Remove mineral deposits from coffee makers with white distilled vinegar. Fill the water reservoir with 1 cup or more of white distilled vinegar and run it through a whole cycle. Run it once or twice more with plain water to rinse clean. (Check the owners’ manual first.) I admit, I only do this about once a year. OVENS:Avoid the bad smell when you heat up a newly cleaned oven by using a sponge soaked in diluted white distilled vinegar for the final rinse. To clean a grease splattered oven door window, saturate it with full-strength white distilled vinegar. Keep the door open for 10 to 15 minutes before wiping with a sponge. Easily clean your mini blinds by wearing pair of white cotton gloves. Dip gloved fingers into a solution of equal parts white vinegar and warm tap water, and run your fingers across both sides of each blind. Get rid of calcium deposits on faucets by soaking a cloth or paper towel in white distilled vinegar and wrapping the area tightly. Let this sit for a couple of hours or overnight. Remove soap buildup from faucets by scrubbing them with a solution of 1 part salt to 4 parts white distilled vinegar. GUYS, LISTEN UP: Clean hardened paint brushes by simmering them in a pot with white distilled vinegar. Soak them first for an hour before bringing the white distilled vinegar to a simmer. Drain and rinse clean. Clean your grill by spritzing white distilled vinegar over wadded up aluminum foil and scrubbing the grill vigorously with it. Drum roll please….and my #1 favorite reason for the use of vinegar: Remove the smell of a dead mouse or other rodent (after removing all animal remnants) by wiping down the area with either white distilled vinegar or bleach. Then place a fabric softener sheet in the area to remove any lingering odors. Hasn’t this been a great learning experience! For further information or any questions on Naples real estate please contact Ruth Bethem at Ruth@RuthBethem.com or direct at 239-777-7007 or toll free 877-777-7545.

Want a few tips on how to keep one of the most important investments (your home) in top shelf condition here in Naples, FL? Well, I’m first going to test you: Who remembers this really fun game on tv in the late 70’s early 80’s called the $10,000 Pyramid? You’re smiling so you must know what I’m talking about. If you guessed all the blocks on the pyramid, you won the top cash award. They gave one word hints and the player had to guess what all those items had in common. Some were so far off the wall a psychic couldn’t have guessed it but I’m going to make this one really easy on you. Here it goes: Appliances. Garbage Disposals. Showerheads. Windows. Old Concrete. Shower Doors. Guess it yet? You got it, vinegar! Geez, like how hard was that I already gave you a good clue. So, today, it’s all about the vinegar. Cheap. Easy. Always accessible. Here’s a few tips from the website vinegartips.com. I’ve been using it for years and not just for real estate, try 2 Tabl mixed in water with a bit of your favorite sweetener in a small glass of water to keep your internal system working. This is a trick I picked up from a friend who owns a commercial window cleaning in Edmonton and she swears by it. Oh, life is great with vinegar. Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl ( according to WaterSoftenerGuide.com, hard water can prevent the proper chemistry from happening). Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean. Deodorize the garbage disposal by pouring in 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes then run hot water down the disposal. Or, Deodorize and clean the garbage disposal with white distilled vinegar ice cubes. Make them by freezing full-strength white distilled vinegar in an ice cube tray. Run several cubes down the disposal while flushing with cold water. To clean a scummy showerhead, pour 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 cup white distilled vinegar into a sandwich bag and tie it around the showerhead. Let this set for an hour after the bubbling has stopped. Remove the bag and then turn on the water. Create your own window cleaning solution by combining 1/2 cup non-sudsy ammonia, 1 cup white distilled vinegar, and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a gallon of water. Remove the wax residue left by commercial window cleaners with a solution of 2 cups water, 1 cup white distilled vinegar and 1 teaspoon of liquid soap or detergent. Before painting old concrete, clean with full-strength white distilled vinegar. Let it air dry. Spray shower doors with full-strength white distilled vinegar after you’ve squeegeed the glass, or before you step in and turn on the water. It will help release the hard water deposits so they don’t remain on the glass. For further information or any questions on Naples real estate please contact Ruth Bethem at Ruth@RuthBethem.com or direct at 239-777-7007 or toll free 877-777-7545. Check back on Wednesday for Part II. I know it’s riveting but hang in there, Wednesday will come quick enough.

Back in the fall I joined a small group of concerned citizens here in Naples that wanted to help make an impact on the perception of America in the international community. Under the leadership arm of the Naples Area Chamber of Commerce, the Council for International Visitors In Collier (CIVIC) is a grassroots organization that has fundamentally been in existence for a few years, started by a few concerned citizens that understood the importance of advocating for Naples on a global level. Being an active real estate agent and broker, I know that what used to be 9% of home sales from international buyers is now at 20% and that spoke volumes to the leaders of our community. Our group of volunteers, headed by Ekkehard Grampp and the website, have become more active and visible and because of his leadership role, we are traveling the road to being nationally recognized so that we can accept more international visitors wanting to have a deeper understanding of our area. How does it work? One part of CIVIC is to accept invitations from our NCIV (National Council for International Visitors which falls under the US State Dept.) for individuals that are mid-to high level government officials that are hungry for knowledge on many different issues and arenas throughout the United States. In Collier County we promote our tourism, agriculture, water resources, emergency disaster planning, law enforcement, urban planning and education, as well as our cultural and arts attractions. The visitor arrives in Naples and we set a very busy agenda for them for anywhere from 1-5 days depending on their requested time period. It’s a wonderful exchange of ideas and knowledge and allows both counterparts to interact in a way that would normally not be possible if not for the NCIV and the State Department. I will be traveling to Washington, D.C. for the 50th Anniversary Gala and Annual Meeting this week to learn how we can have our programs at their optimum. Classes are very early and run the course of the day and then I get to meet and greet with our counterparts from all over the United States, as well as attending an Embassy Reception (I’ll be attending the Netherlands Embassy) as well as the US State Department Reception and to start us out, we are having a wonderful celebration Gala to open up the meeting on Wednesday night celebrating 50 years of successful citizen diplomacy. Here’s the basic principles: The individual citizen has the responsibility to help shape foreign relations “one handshake at a time.” The peoples of the world are interdependent and that our future is secured through collaborations nurtured by free, open, and respectful communication. Face-to-face meetings are the most effective means of communicating. International exchange programs are essential for those who hope to lead the communities and nations of the world. NCIV and its member organizations must at all times meet rigorous and measurable standards of quality and excellence in all areas. This excellence requires commitment and competence marked by flexibility, risk taking, and an infectious and invigorating enthusiasm. Voluntarism is a unique trait of American society that must be reflected in our organizations and programs. So, what can you do to help promote your area’s citizen diplomacy, well, it all starts with a handshake. Watch for my tweets on Twitter throughout the week and more blog postings upon my return. For further information or any questions on Naples real estate please contact Ruth Bethem at Ruth@RuthBethem.com or direct at 239-777-7007 or toll free 877-777-7545.

Ever feel like you just can’t get close enough to the beach unless you’re living on top of it? You know, the kind of lifestyle where you can dip your toe in the sand for no other reason than because you can? Well, this luxury living just got more affordable at Gulfside in Naples, Florida, conveniently located a few steps away from the swanky Venetian Village in Park Shore Naples. If you ask me, this 8th floor condo is so well placed because it’s high enough to give you a bird’s eye view of not only the gulf, but the gorgeous Venetian Bay across the street, but not too high where you can’t feel attached to the happenings around you. Sort of like being tethered but by your own choosing. This little jewel of 1267 square feet is the perfect size for a weekend getaway when the rest of the world is bearing down on you. Slide into the plane seat, exhale and just anticipate the glorious sounds of the surf slamming into the beach for that enticing sound that can rock even the hard-core amnesiac to sleep. This Gulfside home has been renovated from stem to stern that includes top shelf names such as GE Profile stainless appliances, Miele washer & dryer, Thomasville cabinetry, granite in kitchen, bar, baths & kitchen desk, Kohler fixtures, 21 inch tile in all areas except the bedrooms that have soft plush Frieze’ carpet, sliding plantation shutters and a balcony that runs the length of the condo. A wall of mirrors in the living room and dining area allows for endless water views reflecting back from the sea to enjoy while indoors. Views of soft, white sand running into emerald green waters to the west, Venetian Bay to the east, morning coffee or evening cocktails, the choice is yours. Residents just need to bring a towel, a good book & a chaise lounge. Hose off at the outdoor shower, slip into a change of clothes and you’re off again for an evening across the street at Venetian Village, where you can enjoy boutique shopping with styles from chic casual to simply elegant. Set in the true Italian waterfront style, take advantage of eating alfresco with forever views from the upper deck on Bayside’s terrace overlooking Venetian Bay. I’m sure it might get better than this somewhere in the world, but you’d have to travel to the Grand Canal in Venice, and frankly, that’s just a bit far for your already weary bodies. Oh and by the way, the only white stuff you’re going to be shoveling is not in your driveway but between your toes as you bring out your inner child as you carve out your winning sandcastle. A lifestyle you’ve waited for, a home you dreamed would come on the market is now yours at a desirable Market Offering of $500,000.For further information or any questions on Naples real estate please contact Ruth Bethem at Ruth@RuthBethem.com or direct at 239-777-7007 or toll free 877-777-7545.